Buddy at the junkyard talked me into trying used alternators

I've always been the guy who buys new parts for my '89 F-150, figured used stuff was just asking for trouble. But last Saturday at Pick-n-Pull, this older dude named Carl saw me staring at a row of alternators and said 'why not just grab one for $15 and test it at the counter?' He showed me how to spin it by hand and hook up a multimeter right there. I grabbed a Delco off a '92 Taurus, tested it at 14.2 volts, and slapped it in my truck yesterday. Saved myself $80 and it's been running perfect for two days now. Anyone else had good luck with junkyard electrical parts?

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paul1172mo ago

Hang on, I gotta push back a little on that Delco fitment thing. A '92 Taurus actually used a 3G alternator, which is a common upgrade for older Fords, not a mismatch. The 3G case is almost identical to the stock one on an '89 F-150, the mounting ears line up perfect, no bracket issues. You might be thinking of the older 2G style, those had the weird clocked housing that could twist. If his belt is squealing after a week, it's probably a loose belt or a pulley alignment thing, not the alternator itself. Carl at the junkyard probably knew exactly what he was doing when he pointed to that Taurus unit.

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henryf532mo ago

Gotta call you out a little though, that Delco off a '92 Taurus is probably not gonna fit right long term lol. I did the same thing once and the mounting brackets were a hair off, made the belt squeal after a week. Still a steal for $15 if it works for a bit though, just keep an eye on it.

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